Ateneo exacts revenge on rival La Salle, seals UP's Final Four slot

Ateneo de Manila University relied on a strong second half performance to beat De La Salle University, 68-54, and exact revenge from their first round loss in their second faceoff in UAAP Season 85 on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After being tied at 29 at halftime, the Blue Eagles outscored the Green Archers, 27-10, in the third quarter to end the frame with a 56-39 lead. Ateneo continued to hold control and led by as much as 22, 61-39, early in the fourth period.

Dave Ildefonso tallied 12 points, while Forthsky Padrigao, Kai Ballungay, Ange Kouame, and Chris Koon all tallied 11 points each in the Ateneo win.

Evan Nelle was the only Green Archer who scored in double digits with 15 points.

With the win, the Katipunan-based squad improved to 6-3 while the green-and-white squad went down to 3-6 after their fourth straight loss. The win also assured the league-leading University of the Philippines a slot in the UAAP Final Four, their fourth straight playoffs appearance.

The UAAP will return on November 17 after the league takes a break to give way to the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers.

The scores:

Ateneo 68 - Ildefonso 12, Kouame 11, Ballungay 11, Koon 11, Padrigao 11, Andrade 8, Gomez 2, Chiu 2, Lazaro 0.

La Salle 54 - Nelle 15, Nwankwo 7, Quiambao 6, Nonoy 6, Austria 5, Estacio 5, Manuel 4, M. Phillips 3, Abadam 2, Macalalag 1.

Quarters: 10-16, 29-29, 56-39, 68-54.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News